Free entry to St Arnaud pool

The Northern Grampians Shire has decided to make entry to the St Arnaud swimming pool free for the rest of the summer.

The council made the decision at its meeting last Friday and will forgo the $27,000 in revenue that the pool generates.

Mayor Dorothy Patton says the council hopes the decision will encourage more people to use the pool.

"We've done this following consideration of the cost of running the pool against the takings for the last couple of years and to encourage use really," she said.

"We have a need to have two qualified people monitoring the pool at all times and we'd have to employ a third at the canteen and to take the money, so the figures at this point in time aren't adding up and we've decided we're going to try this."